Gorillaz keep my Music World turning...

On February 23rd, Gorillaz posted a new single titled DoYaThing on the converse website which I promptly downloaded for free. And today they have just released the video (also available on converse.com).  I have to say, this song really makes me want to get up and boogie, and did I say you could get it for free?  What a gift, Cheers Mr. Albarn!

DoYaThing - Gorillaz feat. Andre 3000 and James Murphy

Look carefully, (or maybe not so carefully) and you'll see references to the Dare, Feel Good Inc., and El Mañana Music videos from their Demon Days album. And clearly you can see the Boogie Man is there, so my question is: how did they get here from Plastic Beach?

You are the Bane of my Existence

I've said it before and I'll say it again, my beloved twin sister always knows how to cheer me up.

And what better way to let someone know you care than by sending them a custom made, personalized message?  How about a Batman themed custom made, personalized message?  

Here's the one she made for me:

Sentimental and from the heart,  just how it should be.

Keep this in mind, dear readers: the best gifts are the ones that say something about the both of you.

The Belated Valentine's Day Post

I was one of many this year who did not have a Valentine, and you know what? I survived.

Instead I busied myself with giving cards to my friends and family (the people that really matter) to let them know how much I loved them, and I knew just how much they love me, so who cares that I don't have a boyfriend?

Looking through a site called allposters.com, I found an image from an old Marvel comic that hit the nail right on the head (at least for me):

That pretty much sums it up for me.  Why should I worry about having a boyfriend now if I haven't met anyone who I really feel would last?

Oh, and for those of you who are still skeptical...

Oh, and Happy Belated Single's Awareness Day!

The truth is: I never left you

Today, 1977: Julie Covington hit number 1 in the UK with the single "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" from the Musical Evita.  Later remade in 1996 by Madonna.

I'll never forget doing high kicks across the dance studio to this song with my fabulous teacher, Richard Cunningham.  I believe that period with him (fourth grade through eleventh, up until my family moved) was when I was more introduced to music beyond the manufactured pop. I am always impressed by Andrew Lloyd-Webber (and I'm not just saying that because I love love love beyond belief The Phantom of the Opera) I feel that he and Stephen Schwartz are without a doubt two of the most influential composers in the modern age.  I feel that their work has reached more young people and will without a doubt be taken into the next generations (they've already reached the stage as "classics"). Anyway, just remember to find time and get back to the originals!

Bond, James Bond, I know you've heard of me.

Daniel Craig must be thanking his lucky stars that he was in a movie whose title had such a classy ring to it: Casino Royale, it just rolls right off the tongue.  This is a poster for a wine auction with the same name, and it got me thinking about the world's most famous not-so-secret agent.  

(Can someone please tell me what the guy in the silhouette is holding? It doesn't look like a wine glass.)

 I know that James Bond is a cultural icon (despite the fact that he is a cheesy, egotistical pig) , but I'd like the themes to go back to the classic Bond, when 007 was more than just an action figure.  He was also the epitome of smooth glamour and charm.  I find Craig's Bond to be much too hard, wasn't Bond known for his witty, playful banter?  And didn't he smile a lot more?  I guess now Hollywood figures marrying classic icons (like the Transformers) with explosions is a *fantastic* way of bringing things into the modern age.

I found this poster from pvedesign.com

Superbowl Sunday Part III: Where's help when I need it?

I had a lot of fun just wandering around downtown.  Neither of us had tickets to the Superbowl, so it was about time to wrap things up.  But we saw our good friend Jimmy Fallon again!

 Oh those Ron Paul supporters!

 In the circle there's this fantastic Chocolate Store called The South Bend Chocolate Company, the people there were very very sweet (ha, pun!) despite the rush of Superbowl Spectators. And...

Captain America works there!

We thought this was an interesting juxtaposition.  Steph pointed out that churches were often the central point when a town was being built, now it's just skyscrapers.

 I thought the Egyptian artwork was beautiful!  I've always been fascinated by the Ancient Middle East, and it's nice to see it's appreciated out in the Midwest as well!

The Bible IS true: Jesus loves you!

Now, by the time we had gone around the circle, we figured it was time to head back to Butler on the shuttle.  We had been dropped off at IU's school of art, and we tried to figure our way back there.  I said before that neither of us were Indy natives, so it wasn't long before we were lost.

Not that I'm not city smart: I grew up around DC and had no trouble crossing streets or wandering around, I just had no idea where we were going.  We tried asking the police, but ended up getting more lost until we were wandering around a very shady area...

So where do you go when you need information? The Library!  But after following the directions given to us by the guys at the help desk, we still felt something was off.  So I called a friend of mine who had boarded the same shuttle only to find out that we had missed it.

Fortunately some of her friends had iphones and were able to direct us back to IU's campus.  Steph and I still couldn't find the school of art, so we decided to camp out at IU Health and ask around if they could look up the number for a taxi service (neither of us have iphones).  Too bad the security guard wasn't an Indy native either and had no internet service.  So we called, texted, and did everything we could to contact our friends and try to secure a ride.  But of course no one picked up because they were too busy watching the Superbowl!

 This is me, cold (hence the red cheeks) eating chocolate blueberries, and trying to get back to my beloved dorm.

We toughed it out inside IU Health for the rest of the evening.  Steph noticed this umbrella rack and thought the stick figures were quite funny (whatever we needed to lift our spirits!)

Finally I managed to get a hold of one of my friends who was able to find a cheap taxi service out of there.  Poor Steph, I felt so bad!  She wouldn't have left the campus if it weren't for me.  When we got back to campus we literally fell on our knees thanking the good Lord for our safe arrival.

It's actually pretty funny now that I'm looking back on it...

Superbowl Sunday Part II: Downtown

As much as Steph and I would have love to keep exploring the canal and reveling the fantastic artwork, we were on a time limit to see the downtown area and make it back to the shuttle on schedule (remember, we are not Indy natives).

So we kept trudging along, stopping at Steak 'n Shake and breathing in the excitement from the air (or maybe that was just the drunk people).

 Look! I won the Superbowl and I can hold it with one hand! 

 Steph's picture looks so much more epic than mine!

 A shot of the archway leading towards the main attraction.

 The police officer's horse took a liking to me, I think! (that's a double chocolate fudge shake that I'm drinking.  If you have a Steak 'n Shake nearby, I highly recommend you go there.)

  This is actually a very good picture that Steph took, she's quite the photographer!

Juggalos! These guys were hanging out next to Elmo, who was wearing a Peyton Manning jersey.

Superbowl Sunday Part I: The Canal

When am I ever going to get the chance to be this close to the Superbowl ever again?

That was my thought and motivator all last week.  Normally I don't give a flip about sports, but a huge cultural event like this doesn't happen literally just a few blocks down the road every year.  Fortunately my lovely school, Butler University (apparently we have a very good basketball team) provided shuttles for the students to go downtown and experience the Superbowl festivities.  So I took my lovely friend Steph and her camera down to the danger zone to get a closer look.

Now, one thing you must understand is that Steph and I are not Indy natives so we had no idea where we were going...more on that later.

 The canal has quite a bit of street art around it, it was very beautiful sight!  It's just so hidden I didn't realize it was there until the shuttle parked us out in no-man's land and made us walk a marathon to get to the main events.  IU also provides gondola rides May through October, maybe another thing to check out in the future?

I just had to upload a picture of this guy; that photobombing biker is my hero!

 (That water looks so artificially blue)

This is me on the other side of the canal; Steph thought the lighting under the bridge was very pretty!

If you can't read that it says: "Quetzacoatl Returns to see Himself in the Mirror."  If you don't know who Quetzacoatl is, you should read up on Mexican/Aztec History.

  I wish I could have investigated this picture a bit more, but I was on a time limit.

Picture Perfect

I was looking through the blogs that I follow and saw this watercolor painting by Jacqueline Gnott that she posted yesterday, and I almost couldn't believe it! Definitely check out her blog if you're interested in buying or learning how to paint any of her paintings!

This one's called "White Peony"

Never Underestimate the Power of Twitter: Clockwork (Remix feat. Lil Wayne)

Parts of me think that Twitter is very silly and I feel ridiculous posting what I feel is trivial information, but on the other hand I now have more access to information I would have heard by the time it became old news or never found.  So far I've had the pleasure of discovering hitRECord, being up to date with my favorite bands (Tokio Hotel and Gorillaz!), and now I'm being followed by Smart Music Entertainment (that actually sounds a lot creepier when I type it...)

Anyway, I decided to check it out and found this artist that they really seem to care about: Ron Patterson. So I listened to a few of his songs and it sort of took me back to my childhood in the sense that it reminded me of the R&B music that I listened to way back when I was younger, like Seal's version of "Fly like an Eagle" or R. Kelly's "I Believe I can Fly," but with a more modern backdrop.  (Goodness, I haven't listened to those songs in years, but today I finally went back and did.  Memories can be so sweet.)  Anyway, I downloaded the remix of his song "Clockwork" for free, and it's a real feel-good song with a great beat.  The bass is very prominent and definitely vibrates in your eardrums, and Lil Wayne still sounds like a gremlin, but it adds to the funk/hip-hop feel and doesn't take away that it's quite a smooth song.

Overall, I give it a 4/5.  You're really getting what you don't pay for with the free download.